The Other One
by EmiStone
Summary: What if Adalia was Kel's twin? Watch as Adalia goes through her own life, protecting the small in her own way. What will life bring her, and where will she go? Who will she be? And what will Kel say when they meet again?
1. The Start

Please ignore almost all previous supposition of my main character: Adalia of Mindelan. And PLEASE comment. I will be focusing on Adalia for a good while, then it will go back into the plot of Protector of the Small. OK, we're all filled in and good, lets continue!

**Btw, is my name Tamora Pierce? No? Well, then, I don't own Tortall or Keladry; I will claim ownership of ALMOST everything about Adalia of Mindelan, maybe 95%?**

**~EmiStone**

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><p>Adalia's P.O.V.<p>

Mama and Dad watched Kel and I receive our letters with concern. I read mine several times to ensure that my voice didn't shake, and my face didn't show any emotion. It said that I couldn't become a night, because Kel was older and only one sibling from each noble family could be a page a year. It also explained that Kel had to go through a probation period, and because of this, I would have to wait at least five years, if I could come at all. I was secretly dying inside, but I told myself to let it roll off of me like water. I was stone, I could handle this.

"It is not the reply we expected." Dad said he was a short man, with dreamy, long lashed hazel eyes and brown hair. Kel took after him in looks, having only our mother's height. "His declaration of ten years ago was that girls could become pages. Nothing was said of probation, or this sibling rule, then."

"Addie? Kel?" Mama said, she was extremely tall and had white hair and a deep, musical voice. I took after her in looks, I was thinner and more elegant looking than Kel, and had Mama's blue-green, long-lashed eyes although I was short. My hair was a mix between Mama and Dad's; it was a light color of blond mixed with red and brown highlights, from Dad. My voice also took after Mother and was a musical sort of voice, while Kel's was very much like Dad's a nice light baritone. Everyone compared us, as we were twins; Kel was older by maybe five minutes, if that; and we had always been the best of friends, and were never separated.

"You can say what you feel. We are no longer among the Yamanis." Mother said. I simply shook my head.

"I can't fall into bad practices. I am apparently going back with you." I said, with no emotion in my voice, or so I thought, my family was not so easily confused. Kel winced, and Mama and Dad looked at me with pity in their eyes.

"Well, I'm not going!" Kel said firmly, she was always more forthright than I was. "If they won't take both of us, then they can't take one! Even if it is only for a year…" Kel mumbled at the end, betraying her own misgivings towards the situation.

"Yes, you are!" I shouted, too surprised to maintain Yamani calm.

"No! If they won't accept you, I won't go!" She said, surprised, I usually never lost the calm façade that we learned in the Yamani islands.

"Well, what's the point of them accepting me, if you don't accept their proposal? They won't even give me a second chance. This has been our dream as long as I can remember! If I can't do it, then I'll be darned if you can't!" I shouted, before running outside. I ran into the woods and just kept running, my dreams were crashing down around me, and I couldn't stop it. Eventually I stopped running at a small town near Mindelan. My clothes were so tattered and dirty that when I entered the town square no one even looked at me askance. I fit right in with the orphans and beggar children on the side of the road. I went into a small inn in the center of the village, it looked well run and homey. I looked around and the small room was crowded with people of all different nationalities and lines of work. I went up to the matron, who had a kindly face, and asked her how far Mindelan was from here.

"About ten miles or so…" She said, frowning down at me concerned. "It's much too far for you to walk, especially at night! Do you have a relative in town?" She asked. I thought for a minute and then kept my face black and smooth, and said,

"Yes, she lives just up the road. I was just wondering that's all." I said she smiled at me.

"OK, go on now then, a pub is no place for a child, specifically a girl." I smiled at her, turned, and walked out, too deep in my thoughts to notice that a man at the bar walked out after me, and a mysterious, dark, women after him. I walked around for a while, before giving up and deciding to go back to the inn and beg a place to sleep, I probably shouldn't have lied to begin with, when a large hand grabbed my upper arm.

"What is a little girl like you doing in an alley way all alone at night?" He asked, his breath stinking of spirits. I shivered involuntarily, before keeping my face smooth and with no emotion. He tried to pull me closer to him, I didn't even think. I flung him over my hip the same way Nariko, the emperor's training master, had taught me. He fell hard, throwing up the contents of his stomach when he hit the ground.

"You little-" He started, coming back towards me and swinging a punch at my face. I step-sided and let his momentum ruin his balance, which was already pretty bad, and make him fall forward onto his face. He landed on his head and stopped moving. I hurried over to him and checked his pulse in a hurry.

"Thank Mithros! He's alive!" I exclaimed. I felt that killing for any reason was a horrendous thing to do, one that I had unfortunately participated in when raiders had attacked the Yamani Islands.

"You should work on keeping your body more streamlined." A voice from the shadows said. I twisted around and got into a battle position. A woman emerged from the shadows. I could easily see she was from the Yamani Islands from her golden skin and slanted black eyes. I laid my hands flat on my thighs and bowed. When I looked up through my hair I saw her still standing there, looking surprised.

"How is it that a small girl from Tortall, knows how to bow like a Yamani and fight like a court lady?" She said in wondering Yamani. I straightened and replied in turn.

"How is it that a Yamani is in Tortall and knows how to speak Tortallan?" She looked even more surprised so I continued wryly, "Did you really think that they could teach me how to fight if I could not speak?"

"I suppose that that would make sense. The strange thing to me was that you seem to speak Yamani better than Tortallan. How long were you in the Islands?" She asked, I was strangely comfortable with talking to this mysterious women and was about to answer her question when the man stirred. We both went into attack positions, but before anything happened, she gestured me to follow her. I hesitated, than followed her, thinking anything was better than the man in the alley. She led me to the inn from before. We sat down to the table when the kindly matron from before came up to the table. She smiled at the stranger and then looked questioningly at me.

"She's a friend of the family." I lied easily. The matron smiled and left.

"Now," The mysterious lady continued in Yamani. "How long were you in the Islands?" I kept my face a smooth as hers.

"Six years. Longer than I have lived in Tortall, actually. I just came back." I said with no emotion.

"Ah, when did you first arrive in the Islands?" She said, with an equal amount of emotion.

"When I was four."

"Why did you go?" She asked.

"My parents had to." I replied simply.

"Why?" She asked, a little curiosity creeping into her voice.

"My father was an ambassador." I said, not really thinking of it. I soon realized my mistake.

"Ah, so you are either Adalia, Oranie, or Keladry of Mindelan. If you were four when you came, you aren't Oranie, she was six. So, that leaves you as either Keladry or Adalia. Which one are you?" I gaped, losing my mask entirely.

"Adalia." I whispered in shock. She laughed.

"Well, come on! It wasn't that hard! Tortallan girl, trained in the Emperor's courts, parents are ambassadors, was four when she went, it wasn't that hard." She said in Yamani. I nodded and got my voice under control. The trick to living in the Islands was not to not show emotion; it was to show an extremely small amount of it. Just enough that another Yamani would know how you are feeling, but an outsider would not. I saw a small twinkle in her eyes that gave away the fact she was teasing me.

"Well, what is your name, then, if you know mine?" I said, deciding to tease her a bit.

"Tokomara Seastone, the Shang Phoenix." She said simply. I gaped yet again. She laughed.

"Yes. Shang. So, where are you going?" She asked. I found myself telling her everything. At the end of my story she just sat there in thought.

"So, I am actually headed home. Then to the Yamani Islands with the embassy, then back. But, I don't know what to do with myself. I don't have a goal, you know? I could just kill the people who stopped me from my dream. But, I won't." At this the Phoenix was roused from her thoughts and asked me a question that sounded like her life depended on it.

"Why?"

"I don't believe in killing for anything but self-defense, or maybe for a really good cause, I don't believe in killing, and I don't believe in war. But, I think that people who hurt those smaller or more helpless than them deserve to hurt worse than death. The lesson will last longer too." Tokomara looked intently at me.

"That is the same thing that I believe." She said simply. I ducked my head, a little embarrassed at my speech. "Have you ever done it? Killed someone I mean."

"Once. When raiders attacked the islands and my mom, Kel and I were stuck in the temple with the swords. Surely, you have heard of that story…" I said, not wanting to tell her. She nodded, her face unreadable. "Well Kel had one sword, the sword of law. I had the sword of duty. My mom had a glaive and was defending us. One got through her guard and was going in for the killing stroke, I didn't even think…" I trailed off, deep in thoughts of that terrible day. Tokomara gripped my shoulder comfortingly across the table.

"You don't have to finish." She said with pity. I smiled at her and nodded.

"You know the worst part? The guards saw, and I was hailed as a hero for it. I just… hated it… I was disgusted with myself…" I whispered. She looked at me for a minute before getting up and ordering a drink for her and me. She came back to the table with apple juice and beer.

"I have a proposal for you. Here," She said, giving me my juice and looking anxious.

"Thank You." I said in Tortallan. She nodded and smiled, knowing that there was no phrase for it in Yamani. Then she switched back to Yamani.

"Why don't you become my protégé? I have been looking for one for ten years now, and I think you would be perfect, for all that your nobly born and too old. Your family just turned into nobility, so that's fine. And you already have Yamani training, so you are actually ahead of the other young Shang your age, some of them at least. You may never be the best. I'm not going to lie. But, you would at least have a goal. And if you were my protégé you wouldn't have to go to the formal schooling. You could learn in the Islands." She said, looking at me anxiously.

"Oh, YES!"

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><p>Hey, Hey! How do you like it? You wanna tell me? Use that little blue button right down<p>

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HERE!


	2. Secrets!

PLEASE ENJOY/REVIEW!  
>~EmiStone<p>

Firebird: I'll work on that.

Alyss Mainwaring: How about this one? I changed it.

shieldlessknight : Thanks! I will.

Sorry I don't have giant responses like everyone else. Thank you all for reading, but a special thanks to the three people who reviewed, You Rock!

Disclaimer: FANfiction. Man, do I WISH i owned Protector of the Small. But alas, I don't... :~(

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><p>Alanna's P.O.V.<p>

What was I supposed to do? I have to stay in Tortall to give Keladry her gifts that was sure, even if I couldn't give them to her sister. I entered Myles' office. He was behind his desk and didn't look overly surprised to see me.

"So, where are you going?" He asked wryly, his eyes twinkling.

"I was hoping that _you_ could tell _me._" I said, smiling at him.

"Well, Adalia is missing…"

Kel's P.O.V.

I had finally decided that I would take the offer. I just wish that Adalia was here, it wasn't like her to just run away without a thought in her head…

Adalia's P.O.V.  
>The next day I woke up feeling exalted. We had rented a room in the inn, and Tokomara's bed was empty. I got up and saw a note in Yamani,<p>

'Adalia, I am outside in the practice yards. Come down when you wake up. Time to start Shang training!'

I jumped out of bed and changed into my practice clothes excitedly. I finally made it outside to see Tokomara doing a strange set of stretches that included some Yamani ones. Then she jumped around like an acrobat, fully stretching out all of her muscles. I cleared my throat, feeling awkward, and she whirled around.

"Well, first things first. You will learn stretches. Then we will have some Shang lessons. Then some regular subjects, Shang are not idiots who only know how to fight. If you are to become Shang you have to pass even more courses than knights. Now, do you have the Gift?" She said in Yamani, which I assumed was all we were going to be talking in.

"No, no one in my family does." I replied.

"Good. Learning how to use it would take valuable time away from your studies. Now, I fast-tracked my studies. Yamani training was derived from Shang, you are already at the equivalent of a fourteen year old Shang. You are expected to fast-track too. I'll push you harder than any of the other Shang would even _think_ of pushing anyone. Don't complain, just take it. From now on we are like mother and daughter, OK?" She said, I nodded, and bowed in the Yamani fashion as to a mentor, which was the same word as mother in Yamani.

"I think I should tell you, most of my family calls me Addie. You can call me that if you want." I said hesitantly, although I trusted Tokomara, everything was happening very fast.

"How about Lia?" She asked kindly, with a sense of humor in her eyes. I nodded excitedly.

"OK, then Lia, you can call me Toko. Let's start." The rest of the morning was spent in agonizing stretches, until I could do all of them without Toko's hands supporting me. Then, after lunch we started on Shang lessons.

"The Shang was started by Mithros and the Great Mother Goddess about 10,000 years ago. The legend says that they stopped a traveling man and gave him the power of twenty men. Then they showed him visions about starting an order of people just like him, training them until they had the power of twenty men. Mithros sent him visions of the orders. There was to be Raven, as the first and weakest level, and it continues up from there. The three highest levels are Phoenix, Dragon, and Flame. The Flame is the only position that was made by the Great Mother Goddess, and is the only position limited to one sex: Female. Flames must both do their own ordeal, and the Shang Dragon's. Flame's must also choose an animal name for themselves, in addition to their title. There have only been nine Shang Flames, ever: Wolf, two Phoenixes, two Wildcats, two Unicorns, and two Dragons. The flame is the top position of the Shang, and their leader, of sorts. Something to aim for, as you said you need a goal, and I made a promise that my protégé would do better in ranks than me, which is probably why I never had one… Never mind that! Time for Algebra!" The rest of the night was spent doing the same subjects Pages learn, to a greater extent. Two weeks went by like this, until Toko decided it was time for us to leave.

"We'll go to the Yamani Islands." She said, as we packed. Anne, the matron, waved away all forms of pay, saying that the fact that I had helped in the kitchens paid for my stay, and Toko's fame paid for hers. We left after much hugging. Toko had a horse in the stables, a dappled mare that looked as if she was used for speed rather than real fighting. Toko hopped on and offered me a hand up. I took it and swung myself into the saddle after her. We rode until the town was out of sight, then, with a malicious smile; Toko promptly dumped me off the saddle. I stood there watching her in confusion when she started trotting, with the simple command of, "Run." I groaned and started running after her, hopefully the next town was close!

Alanna's P.O.V.

I went into the inn that was near Mindelan, hoping maybe she had stopped here. The matron, Anne, was wary of me at first, then I smiled at her.

"Hello, I'm looking for a girl. Her name's Adalia, have you perhaps seen her in this area? My husband and I are very anxious to find our daughter…" I said, adding on possible hints of water-works at the end.

"You don't really look like Lia…" Anne hedged uncertainly, telling me all I needed to know of was she here. She was, recently, and for a while. George came up behind me, and apparently he looked enough like Adalia that Anne was assuaged in her fears.

"Oh, she and Tokomara left a while ago. Tokomara said she had some friends in Goatstrack, it's just due west of here." She said smiling.

"Thank you kindly, we'll be going now." George said from behind me, Anne nodded and wished us luck. We went back to the stables in silence, and mounted our horses. We pulled up our hoods and galloped fast towards Goatstrack.

:-)∞ :-)∞ :-)∞ :-)∞ :-)∞ :-)∞ :-)∞ :-)∞

On the way to Goatstrack George suddenly pulled up on his reins and stopped mine too, chuckling quietly to himself. There was a teenage girl running with all her might, yelling profanities in maybe three different languages with the breath she had left, and trying to catch up with a horse. Said horse had a rider who was obviously a woman and was riding backwards and was pretty much doubled over in laughter, only the horse, which obviously knew what it was doing, was keeping her in the saddle.

"Toko! For the Goddess' sake! Let me on the horse! I'm tired and the village is a mile away!" The girl shouted in Yamani, with George translating. When he finished I glanced over at George who was doubled over in laughter now.

"It's actually just over that rise." He said as explanation. I smiled, then thought for a minute.

"Toko? That sounds like Tokomara…" George was instantly on high alert, although it was apparent that Adalia, who I assumed was the girl running after the horse, was going willingly. She suddenly burst out in curses again when they crested the rise and she realized that the town was right in front of her. The woman-Tokomara- was laughing her head off, and I didn't need George to translate to know that she was clearly mocking Adalia. They went all the way out of our view before George and I started again, with a moment of silence to collect our thoughts.

"She was goin' willin'ly." George said, slipping into his common speech. I nodded slowly.

"Do you know anything about a 'Tokomara'?" I asked, figuring that he might not have checked his memory stores for the name yet. He thought for a minute than scratched his head.

"The Shang Phoenix's name is Tokomara." He said, like it was no big deal. I swerved in the saddle and smacked him on the arm; he smiled.

"Anything else?" I sighed.

"Um, nothin' relevant at the moment…" He hedged, I stared at him suspiciously, but he just smiled back at me. I glared at him, but couldn't quite get myself to go into one of my famous rants. I was tired.

"Well, when it comes up. Could you maybe inform me? Lets go." I said, not waiting for him to answer.

Lia's P.O.V.

We got maybe fifty feet from the town before Toko let me on her horse. I was cursing her profusely at this point and was dirty and sweaty to boot. But, once again, Yamani training helped, even though I hadn't done it in a while. We used to be forced to run all over the Islands, with everyone silently laughing at us, well me. At least Toko meant it in good spirit. We got to the inn, there was only one in the town, and went in, after tying Toko's mare, Heart, up outside. The innkeeper was a genial looking man in his forties, with the typical brown hair and brown eyes of Tortall, the room was crowded to the extreme and he was shouting orders everywhere.

"Hello, there." Toko said, catching his attention, "My sister and I would like to book a room?" He blanched.

"Oh, I'm sorry, we have no rooms due to the trade season… Maybe you would like to stay with my sister? Fanche? She is married to the miller and lives right up the road near the woods. You can just tell her Will sent you, she'll set you up." We thanked him profusely, and headed up the road. A white house with green shutters and a genial atmosphere appeared before us some way up the road. A mill was in the back and the house was situated right on the river from which the mill took its power. There were the trees called weeping willows leaning on the river bank, trailing some of their branches in the river peacefully. It looked like the most peaceful place to live that I could ever imagine. Suddenly, two little girls raced outside, followed closely by a stocky woman wearing a sensible blue wool dress. A kerchief of a darker blue held back her long reddish brown hair from her face. As she saw us and came forward I could see that her nose was broad and fleshy, and her lower lip was slightly fuller than the upper. Her sensible brown eyes glinted with amusement at whatever prank her small children had played.

"Hello there. What brings your kind up here?" She said. I looked down and realized that the clothes Toko had bought weren't threadbare in any spots, and weren't patched. They immediately marked us as different, if only marginally.

"We were told to tell you, Will sent us?" Toko said, making it a question in the wake of this formidable woman.

"Ah, Ok then. Right up through here. Hope you don't mind the attic. It has a hearth, so no need to worry about heating. Now, how long will you be staying?" Fanche asked; bustling us along. Toko and I looked at each other, than away.

"We don't know exactly. But, we can pay." Toko replied.

"Well, we'll discuss it after dinner. Right now I need to go wrestle some howler-monkeys." Fanche said with a crooked smile, before leaving. There were two beds in the surprisingly homey attic and there was plenty of space for our belongings, including Toko's giant bag of weapons which she used as a game show piece before practice every morning, before she picked out the weapon and proceeded to torture me with it all day in the name of "learning." My favorite moment was when she was rifling around in it, taunting me, and then stabbed her hand on a short, unsheathed, throwing dagger. I laughed right up until she said that was what we were learning that day, after having it seen to by Anna, who was also a healer.

"Well, this seems like a good place to stay for a while." Toko said, in a manner that desperately seemed offhanded.

"Why?" I asked, wondering if I would finally get a view at her past, and why she hasn't mentioned anything about going to the Yamani Islands past that first anxious proposal. "Is there a reason you left the Yamani Islands? Were you nobility or something? Fiancé? Abusive boyfriend? What?" Toko winced.

"I guess you deserve to know. My last name isn't Seastone. I'm surprised you didn't guess that earlier, it's not exactly a common last name in Yaman." She said hesitantly, trying to change the subject.

"I thought maybe you changed it." I said, "I didn't want to pry. If it's too personal you don't have to tell me. I think that this would be a great place to stay for a while." I was deadly curious, but there were some things better left unsaid, as I knew too well.

"OK." She said with relief, knowing I understood. We were quiet for a time, both of us thinking of our own secrets. Until,

"Wait, _you _have a secret?" She asked incredulously, apparently putting two and two together.

"Well, yes." I hedged.

"Tell me it." She said firmly, "It's my job as mentor to know." I was a little affronted, I couldn't know her secret but she got to know all of mine?

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." I said, thinking she would back down.

"Ok." She said, not backing down, "You first." I looked down.

"I'm afraid of heights. When I was little my brother, Connal, held me and my sister over the balcony by our feet. I've been terrified ever since." Toko looked surprised.

"So that's where you got the whole protect the little people idea." She said, curious.

"My sister, Kel, is the same. Now, what's yours?" I asked deathly curious.

"The Emperor is my father." She practically shouted, before running out the door so fast my mind couldn't even comprehend it, much less comment.

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><p>Dah Dah Dah Duh... Cliffhanger! Review and you will be pulled up and saved from this horrible thing. Don't, and I'm letting you go... All you have to do to be saved is press the little blue button... Which is sometimes purple. And some people think is green. JUST PRESS IT!<p> 


	3. A Cheeky Beginning

**Hello People! I'm really sorry that it took this long for me to write a new chapter, but I hope you love it! Two people we all know and love are in this chapter and well, please review. Sorry It took so long!  
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><p><strong>PS. My Name isn't actually Tamora Pierce.<br>**

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><p><strong>Lia's P.O.V.<strong>

I just stood there in shock for a good ten minutes. Fanche came in eventually looking mildly curious.

"Your sister just ran out of the house and into the woods. You know why?" Fanche asked in a way that clearly said she knew I did and she expected me to tell her, growing up in a diplomats household I was extremely familiar with this voice.

"I might. I might not." I said automatically.

"Cheeky, _very_ cheeky. Reminds me of myself when I was your age. Good, you'll go far." Fanche said, as if the ultimate way to success was being exactly like her. I smiled,

"Oh, I think this is the beginning of a _beautiful_ friendship." I said, smirking. She smiled back.

"Good, I always wanted a teenager, and Maura and Liza down there are too young." I looked at her oddly.

"_Why_ exactly did you want teenagers?" I asked, cautiously, it seems that I had found a kindred spirit, and it's always better to tread carefully around people even remotely like me.

"So I could beat them in arguments like the one we're having now." She replied, completely straight-faced.

"Cheeky, _very _cheeky. What makes you think you're winning?" I asked. She smiled at me.

"You want to know the other reason I wanted teens?" She asked, completely ignoring my question.

"Why?"

"So they could do chores. Come on, time for sewing!" She said dragging me downstairs, I laughed.

"What makes you so sure I'll do it?" I asked, trying to trip her up.

"My house. My rules." She said smirking.

"Well, then I won't stay at your house." I threatened.

"Have fun sleeping on the ground." She said, pushing sewing into my hands.

"Darn."

Toko's P.O.V.

'I probably shouldn't have run off.' Was the main thought that was going on in my head. Fanche seemed like a prideful woman and Lia didn't do well with people who had too much pride. I just needed some time to sort out my thoughts. What if Lia hated me for keeping this from her? No she would understand that. She might not understand the fact that we couldn't go back to the Yamani Islands. And she might be slightly ticked off that I kept the implications of this a secret when I took her on. But, I really didn't want her to say no, so it seemed justified at the time… No, she probably wouldn't understand. How could the younger daughter of a small barony understand the implications of royalty? Now I was starting to sound like my father. I had gotten me and my little brother out of there, and the Shang had adopted us. We have both had successful, happy lives. But there was always that lingering doubt, should we have done it? My brother had started training to be a Yamani knight. He might be the glorious figure of a nation now, rather than be teaching stuck up brats how to fall. I could have been the lady of the nation, full of grace and poise, the envy of the nobility and commoners alike, yet here I was. In a peasant's house in Tortall, running away from my adopted daughter, because my past had finally caught up, and I wasn't ready to deal with it, not yet at least. Not now.

After some time I walked back to the house, figuring that if Fanche killed her or more likely she had killed Fanche, the nearest village was only five miles away, and she deserved to run. What I saw when I opened up the door wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Lia was sitting in a chair mending clothing, with two little girls in her lap pulling her hair, and Fanche standing in the kitchen laughing. I smiled, apparently Fanche wasn't as prideful as I had previously imagined.

"So, you're back. Why'd you run? Scared of the little sis?" That didn't stop her from being horribly frank. Lia turned around and looked at me with understanding in her eyes.

"Hey, Fanche, I'm going to go talk to Toko. I'll be back in a sec. Now, you little howler-monkeys," She said, picking up one of the little girls, than the other and placed them back on the chair, where they giggled and squirmed, "You stay here till I'm back. Then I can finish my sewing. _Then_, we will play Hide-and-Go-Seek." The girls continued to giggle and push each other. Lia turned to me and beckoned. We went to a small room past the living room.

"I got the full tour a while ago." She said as explanation. I nodded slowly. Lia turned to me and looked seriously at me.

"You should have told me. You should know I wouldn't judge. I understand." She said, staring at me.

"Would you really? Would you really understand what it's like to be the Emperor's favorite? To be the favorite of a nation? To run away with the full knowledge that you can't go back? To have an entire nation trying to hunt you down, all while you are trying to protect another? Do you _really_ understand? How could you?" I said, just rambling, letting my mask come down. Lia was studying the floor intently, and then she looked up to meet my eyes. I almost gasped; even for a Yamani, her face was blank, completely devoid of any emotion.

"I didn't say I had experienced it. I said I understood. When the Emperor put my family in the inner circle, children that had laughed at me and bullied me, suddenly, desperately wanted to be my friends. They would smile at me and the smile would never reach their eyes. They just wanted favor with the Emperor that was it, but it didn't stop me from being hurt when I found out. I was imagining it was something like that on a bigger scale. I said I _understood_ not that I was a miracle worker." She finished sarcastically, and then blinked, and showed more emotion, the main one being annoyance.

"I'm sorry, Lia. I wasn't thinking. You're right." I said, trying to sooth her while half-knowing that the words were true. She smiled.

"It's OK. Just think next time. Now, on to future plans; I think we should stay here for a while. Fanche knows we're Shang and she already named her price for having us stay here." Lia said matter-of-factly. I was slightly impressed before I realized that she was trying to change the subject and there was something I had left to tell her.

"Um, OK. What is it?" I asked, slightly intrigued. We didn't have a lot of money.

"Lessons. For the whole village. On archery. Most specifically Fanche. She says she wants to be able to hit a moving dot that was a couple hundred meters away." She said matter-of-factly. I blanched.

"Really?" I asked. Lia nodded, smiling at me and knowing that I was thinking that this was brilliant, I was planning on doing it anyway. And I didn't have a _giant_ amount of money. Lia looked smug.

"OK, so back to the matter at hand." I said seriously, she had to know; otherwise she might get extremely surprised at some point in the possible future. "Do you realize the implications?" I said, hoping she would get it, but her face just showed confusion. I sighed, sometimes she was _really_ dense.

"OK, let's go slowly now." I said, with what I felt was inordinate amounts of patience, "I am his eldest daughter. He only has two children. We both ran away. That makes me what?" I asked. Lia thought for a second.

"Heir." She said, looking at me strangely.

"OK, so in the royal class and you take on a student that makes them your what?"

"Adopted children." She answered quickly, apparently having figured this one out earlier.

"Good. Now put the two answers together." I said slowly, as if to a five year old. Her eyes suddenly widened to the size of grapefruits. She wildly pointed to herself, than me, than the general direction of Yaman. I nodded, and waited for her to find the ability to speak. She eventually found it, when she was significantly calmer.

"You can't be serious." She said, almost hopefully. I didn't blame her. I nodded, looking at her a little self-consciously.

"That _seriously_ should have been said up front." She said, not hyperventilating even slightly anymore.

"Yah, probably. So, how do you feel about your newly found position?" I asked, smiling slightly.

"Well, now I know why we can't go to Yaman. It was awkward enough when I was just the Emperor's favorite, I can't even _imagine_ how horrible it must be to be _heir._" She said.

"Yah, well, it was OK when my mother was still around, but since it got kind of lonely. And of course my little brother didn't understand, she died four years after he was born, he doesn't remember." I said, telling her a little more than I meant to, she pulled these things out of people. I think it's the sarcasm.

"Well... Time to train the townsfolk! Remember, moving dot." She said, obviously sensing that I didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Lia's P.O.V.

Well, _that_ was unexpected. First of all, Fanche was _awesome_, and second, me, as a princess? A _heir_ even? You have to be out of your _mind._ I was just the slightly clumsy, and impulsive foreigner in Yaman. That's all I ever was, and all I ever would be. I can't be a _princess._ Princesses are practically objects, to get married off to the advantage of the Empire. I was _so_ not doing that. The idea of going to Yaman was probably ludicrous anyways, I mean I am sort of trying to _avoid_ my family, at least for the duration of my training. Going to the one place that I _know_ they will be might not have been the smartest idea in the first place. Anyway, Fanche was AWESOME, and was turning into a sort of mother figure for me, as time went on. We had been here two months now, and only one thing had really happened, and _that_ was unexpected.

Alanna's P.O.V. *Two Months Ago*

We had waited two days at the inn in the village, it turns out that when you openly announce yourselves as nobles, or the Whisper Man, rooms suddenly open up. I wasn't sure which one did it really. Every day at noon, the village would go to learn archery and other weapons of choice from "the Shang", which we assumed was Tokomara Seastone, and "Fanche's Teen", which we assumed was Adalia, but that one confused even George.

"You ready t' go learn archery, my Lioness?" George asked from behind me, seeing that I was spacing out. I jumped slightly and glared at him, but he just laughed. I smiled.

"Yep. I hope our archery is up to the villagers' standards. I would _hate_ to get run out of town." I said, George chuckled. We went down to the village square, with me getting stared at all the way for wearing breeches. Apparently it was acceptable for Shang, being Shang, but not for any woman from Tortall. It was just annoying. We went and watched as Tokomara taught several of the best townspeople the finer points of archery, while Adalia taught the worst ones the basics on the other side. We decided to join Tokomara's group, who knew when it would come in handy to know the best way to shot a bow. These townspeople have no idea what they have. After Tokomara started the townspeople on their drills she came up to us, looked us up and down once, then did a double take on George and gave us both the Yamani version of a bow. George bows back Easterner style, and I am just left standing there confused. _WHY _does this happen every time George and I go somewhere? I know he's the Whisper Man, but for the love of the Goddess, _really_? Just _ how_ does he know this many people?

"Hello, there, Mr. Whisper Man. How may I help you and your, I'm assuming, wife?" She said, with the typical expression on a Yamani's face, also known as none.

"Well, you see..." George started, but was quickly interrupted.

"You're here for Lia." She said, not making it a question.

"Lia?" George asked politely. I don't _ do_ polite.

"We are looking for _Adalia_ of Mindelan. If we could just talk to her rather than her _ kidnapper_ we- I would be much obliged." I said, in a slightly different tone after George elbowed me in the side. Tokomara's eyebrows were raising higher and higher with each word.

"Well, aren't you a feisty one? No, I don't think you can talk to her, since you seem to be confused about the situation at hand. No, I am not a _kidnapper,_" She spat the word out with severe distaste, "I am Lia's reidou. May I ask what relation you are to her?"

"I'm well, I'm here for her, because her family's very worried. And..." I trailed off, George was elbowing me, _again._

"Well, your most Imperial Highness. I had no idea that was the situation at hand." George said, as if I hadn't spoken at all, wait, 'most Imperial Highness'? "Now, that we know the situation, could we talk to Adalia, so that she might explain the situation to her parents and sister? They are very worried." Tokomara smiled.

"Yes, you may. But first I would ask that you would explain the situation to your wife, before she gets her sword out. As good as I am I don't think I could handle the Lioness with a sword. Well, if I decided to only use a sword too." Tokomara said, turning to me and bowing Yamani style.

"It is an honor to meet such a famed swordswoman, Lady Alanna."

"Um... You too?" I said, really confused. She smile, nodded, bowed to us both, than went back to her class. I whirled around to face George, who was smiling sheepishly.

"Well?" I asked, fists positioned on my hips. George smirked a bit, then smiled.

"She's the Crown Princess of Yaman." He said simply. I looked back and her, kneeling in the dust readjusting a bow.

"Seriously?" I asked, seeing that she had that same sort of air as Thayet, that air that allows her to be muddy and look terrible, well as terrible as she _can_, and still look every inch a queen. George nodded, starting me out of my contemplation.

"Well, what does reidou mean?" I asked sighed.

"Well, in Yaman, if a member of the first class of royalty, like the Crown Princess or Prince or the Emperor himself, take an apprentice in the warrior arts, they are pronounced as blood relatives. The tie is actually legal, and binding, in addition to being familial. Its similar to adoption, but to a more extreme level, it is literally like the person was born into the family. Reidou means mother pertaining to this tradition." George said, sounding like he had memorized it out of a book.

"Well, should we talk to Adalia?" I asked, still feeling slightly out of my level. He nodded and we walked over to Adalia. We were almost there when I stopped and turned to him in shock. "Does that mean Adalia is now a Princess?"

"Yep." George said smiling, before walking up to Adalia. Adalia saw him coming and turned back to her group.

"Keep practicing those drills." She announced, before starting to walk over to us.

"And why should I listen to you, girly." One of the older men said with disdain.

"Well, other than the fact that I know about fifty ways to kill you right now, Fanche is glaring at you." Adalia said, with a bit of a laugh in her voice. The man turned to see a middle aged woman glaring at him and quickly turned to doing drills, scared. Chuckling, Adalia headed over to us.

"Hello." She said, obviously not recognizing us, well George. I was behind him, and he is so freaking tall she couldn't see me. I moved out from behind George and she took one look at me and gasped. She promptly dropped down in a curtsy, despite the fact that she was wearing breeches, and gave the proper greeting for a non-heir of a small barony to the King's Champion. She straightened up without wobbling an inch, to my extreme jealousy.

"To what do I owe this extreme honor?" She said properly, causing one of the men from the village to call out,

"Oh, who's gettin' all prim and proper? What's next, you gonna make us curtsy before lessons?" He said, to general laughter.

"Only if you keep your head in your-" Adalia was cut off by the middle aged woman from before coming over and covering her mouth.

"You stop that language in front of nobles, got it? Cheeky is only good if it doesn't get you killed. I'll deal with Hamon." The woman said to Lia softly, before heading over to the man who shouted, who was rapidly running the other direction. Adalia turned back to us with a smile, as if it had never happened.

"How bouts we head out of earshot of the villagers?" George suggested politely. Adalia looked suspicious but nodded. She led us over to the well in the middle of the square, far away from the practice groups.

"To what do I owe this extreme honor?" She asked again.

"Well, we're here because your sister is very worried and-" She cut me off.

"You, as the only female knight, want her to not be worried and to succeed. Well, that's just great for her. Unfortunately, I have no inclination to go home, and I am quite liking having a life of my own, thank you." She said, feigning polite interest.

"Do you know who I am?" I asked her angrily. She smiled that stupid diplomats smile that I have seen _so_ many times, and said,

"Do you know who _I _am?" I blanched, realizing what she was saying. George started to chuckle.

"You are definitely a diplomat's daughter. Tell you what. You ever want a job you come right to me, you here?" He said, chuckling. She nodded, smiling, and I had to chuckle.

"You're still coming with us." I said, getting serious. She simply stared at me.

"You do know you are being a horrible hypocrite right now, right?" She asked, I blushed angrily.

"No I am not!" I shouted, she simply stared at me.

"Seriously? You want me to go home, so Kel can become a female warrior, right? Because you want there to be more female warriors." She asked. I nodded, wondering where this was going. "But if I go then you're down one female warrior. If I stay then you have Kel, _and _me." I thought for a second.

"You are absolutely right." I realized. She smiled smugly.

"But you should probably still write to your family." George suggested. She nodded.

"If you guys can wait a day I'll have those done." She replied, she turned back to her group, but I grabbed her shoulder. She turned back with one eyebrow cocked.

"If you are staying here for a while I can come back occasionally and teach you swordplay. The Shang Phoenix may be able to teach you everything else better, but I bet I know more with the sword." I offered, surprising myself, I think. She nodded smiling hugely.

"And you had better rise to one high rank." I said, smiling back.


	4. Daily Routine

**This is the shortest chapter of anything. Ever. In the history of the world. And I'm really disappointed in myself for this being so small. But I'm terrible... ANd I just need to get over my Writers Block and write something. So here is her dailey routine... I promise the next chapter will be as long as the first three and will be coming out within the week!~ I'm sooo sorry!**

**~EmiStone**

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><p><strong>Lia's P.O.V.<strong>

"Lia, get your butt down here! The cow's wanting milking and it is your turn!" Fanche screamed up the stairs.

"How is it my turn every day?" I groaned, rolling over as I heard Toko groan.

"I think she's making up for lost time. Practice after milking!" Toko said, rolling over as well. I groaned and climbed out of my bed. I put on my tunic, that looked like a small traditional kimono, but only came up to my thighs, and my breeches. Over that I put a skirt and an apron and headed downstairs.

"Finally! Bessie's full today." Fanche said, pushing the bucket into my arms, before turning back to her cooking.

"Yeah, Yeah." I said, heading out the door. I went into Bessie's stall and expertly milked her, getting every last drop. I petted her briefly on my way out, then set the milk in the kitchen and went out into the forest to a small clearing where Toko and I practiced every day. I took off my skirt and apron, folding them up neatly, and started to stretch. When I was done Toko finally came out, blinking sleep out of her eyes.

"Today we are going to be working on... what do we have left?" Toko asked, still tired, we would generally spend months on a specific weapon, with added training on using them together, and with hand-to-hand.

"I don't know." I replied, looking at her curiously.

"Oh, that's right! You now know the basics. I get to teach you the advanced stuff..." She trailed off menacingly. Oh, Goddess...

Five candle-marks later, I was sore all over and heading back to the farmhouse, who knew there were so many ways to fight with a stick, Oh, Mithros, this was going to take a long time. I saw Fanche running out to meet me.

"Did you forget it was plowing season?" She said angrily, pointing me towards the fields.

"How could I, mom?" I replied sarcastically. She smiled at me, I had started calling her mom about a month ago, and she was so shocked that she started crying. "The Howler Monkeys want to come too." She replied, smiling maliciously as she handed both Liza and Maura to me. I groaned as I headed to the field and set them both on my ox.

"Now you both listen here. You will stay on the ox. Or you will pay the consequences." I said, before setting off on my four candle-mark shift. I stopped for lunch and then headed out, waving to the villagers I knew. I headed off for classes, which went on for three marks, and then we taught the villagers archery for another two. I then had dinner and collapsed on my bed, only to do it all again the next day.

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><p><strong>I'm so sorry! But please don't flame me!<strong>


	5. The Capture

**Hey, EmiStone here. Don't kill me! I'm giving you this extra-long chapter to make up for my lack of updating!**

**Disclaimer: Name's Not Tamora Pierce**

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><p>"Mom, we'll be <em>fine<em>." I said, desperately trying to detach myself from Fanche's quite smothering grip. Toko and I were heading out to Blue Harbor today to send out a letter to Toko's brother. We made this trip every couple of months or so, because Toko was horribly paranoid and only trusted a specific messanger and herself to get the message to him. For some reason Fanche was being particularly paranoid this trip, and was acting as if she would never see us again. Toko was actually making a big deal too, having caught her worry, leaving me the only person not worried. We must have gone this route a hundred times in the four years we had been living here and nothing had ever happened before.

"Ok, Liza. Ok, Maura. I love you very very much. I'll be back soon." I paused, starting to get a little worried myself, "If I'm not though. Just remember. I love you, OK? I love you very very much." They nodded, serious for once. I hugged them tightly before setting them down and tweaking their noses. With another "Love you" I walked out.

"If we don't come back, we might not be able to send letters. I promise, though, I absolutely promise to take care of Lia. And one day, we'll be back. I promise. One way, we'll find you." Toko promised fiercely to Fanche and Gothar. They nodded and hugged her hard, then doing the same with me. Gother whispering in my ear,

"I'm real proud o' you." I gave them both a watery smile and waved until they were out of sight.

It was a completely normal trip to the harbor, and was even a normal trip into the office of the messenger, until we got into his office.

"Lady Tokmara?" He questioned in a panic, closing the door firmly and shutting the shades.

"Yes, Jabar? What is wrong?" She asked apprehensively, signaling me to guard the door.

"The Yamanis. They're _here_." He replied, wringing his hands.

"_What?_"

"One of them saw you two months ago and sent a search party. They have been watching my office for weeks. I didn't dare send anything to you. They've been following my messengers!" Jabar replied, staring at her nervously, and checking out the window. "We're surrounded." He said in a hopeless tone. Toko spared only one minute to panic.

"Jabar. Can you hide Lia?" She asked, seriously.

"No! Toko, I can..." I trailed off as I took in her expression.

"You listen to me Lia. You are going to hide. When they get me, they are going to leave. When Jabar says their gone, go to the palace and ask for my brother. OK?" I nodded frantically, swallowing. "Tell him who you are and what happened. He'll take care of you and get you to Fanche; you'll be OK. Go with Jabar, he'll keep you safe." Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I nodded again. She hugged me quickly, before pushing me into the closet door Jabar was holding open. I watched through the slits in the closet door as she opened the door and said goodbye to Jabar. I watched as she walked out nonchalantly and was attacked. I watched as she fought back and was subdued, I watched in horror as Jabar was closing the door a guard came in a shoved him roughly to the ground. He, and a couple other guards, searched the office, to Toko's glares. They went right past the closet I was in and went out, closing the door behind them. I broke into tears.

That night I ate dinner with Jabar and his wife, who fussed over me to an enormous degree, but I just felt numb. The next morning, Jabar and I headed out the door carefully, trying to seem normal. We made sure to get lost in the morning traffic and we walked through the market, in the hopes of losing anyone who was tailing us. We were on the outskirts of the city when it happened. Warriors jumped from the roofs of the houses to the side of us, while others came running out of alley-ways in front and behind us. There was a moment of complete silence as Jabar scrambled for his knives and I slid my sword, which Alanna got me and I promptly dubbed Phoenix (to Toko's everlasting blushing.) Then,

"If you surrender we will not hurt you. We do not wish you harm." One of the men, clearly the Captain, said in Yamani.

"Who are you all? Why are you attacking two Tortallan citizens in Tortall?" I replied in Common, pretending I didn't understand him.

"We do not wish you harm." He said slowly in heavily accented Common.

"Then why are you surrounding my father and I?" I asked, lying through my teeth.

"He is not your father. We have watched. You arrived with the Princess. She has hidden you. We wish to know why." He said, clearly frustrated. I thought for a minute, obviously if I told them the truth I would be captured too...

"She was in need of a travel companion." I said, hoping this would work, "To carry her bags. She was staying at my uncle's inn in Goatstrack. My mom volunteered me, and she gave me this sword to protect myself. It has been in my family for ages. I even polished it. When the Lady was taken I stayed with Jabar. I'm going back to my mom's now." It was always best to have truth is lies. I waved my sword in front of me in an inexperienced way, causing some chuckling from the line.

"Ah, what is your mother's name?" The Captain said, not believing me. I was about to reply when he turned to Jabar to answer.

"Fanche. Fanche Weir, sir. Her and her husband Gothar are real good to this here youngster." He said, causing me to give him an exasperated look at the youngster comment. The group deliberated as I turned back to Jabar.

"If anything happens tell mom I love her. And that I'll be OK, Oh, and that I'll see her again. And tell Liza and Maura I love them. And I'm real proud of them. And tell Gothar I love him too. Tell them all I'll find a way, OK?" He nodded frantically, as I turned back to the lines.

"Clearly whatever problem ya got here is wid me." I said, maximizing my peasant accent, "Can Jabar go backta his family? O' course, I'd like ta get backta mine." This caused another large-scale argument, before a break opened in the line for Jabar.

"Good luck, girly. If ya, get out come to my office. If not, I'll be sure to tell your mom." He said as he passed me. He made his escape, and then I made a move towards the break, but it closed. I manipulated my expression to be one of fear, a big no-no in Yamani society. There was another pause before they came to an agreement.

"So, you know the Princess? You were her travel companion?" A man, obviously the translator stepped forward, that was good, the smaller the rank the less they thought my position was. I relaxed minutely.

"Ya. From Goatstrack all the way ta here. Never been outta Goatstrack, ya see. It's pretty." I said, gesturing to the ocean, which I had never seen, supposedly.

"What was she doing?" He questioned, I manipulated my face to look thoughtful, which wasn't hard because my brain was racing.

"Don't know, do I? Sometimes she'd go inta the forest, at night ya know. And in da mornings. Don't know what she did." I replied, hoping this would work.

"Indeed. And you didn't find this interesting at all? You never checked?"

"I was bein' paid a pretty penny not ta. O' course, probably not gonna get dat now." My hands were sweating, causing my sword to slip. He noticed.

"You know how to use that." He said, gesturing to my sword. I stuck it in the ground and wiped my hands discreetly as I did so, before picking it up again.

"Nah really well... OK, I guess." I held it with two hands, even though it was a one hand sword, leading them to believe this. They had another conference, which I discreetly listened in on.

"I'd say she is a common peasant, but she changes expressions stiffly, as if she is a Yamani pretending to be a Tortallan. That and the Princesses reluctance to talk leads me to believe she is more than a simple peasant. We could offer for her to be the Princesses traveling companion in Yaman. What young girl does not want to be a Princess'... wait..." He said in Yamani, cutting off abruptly.

"Why did you not seem surprised at the identity of the Princess?" He asked, in Common, knowing they had me. I cursed, holding my sword in the correct fashion, right before they attacked. I fought back furiously, but I wasn't even a full Shang yet, and Toko couldn't even take this many Yamani knights when they were surrounding her. I took down many of them, but eventually one of them got behind me and roughly put me into a headlock, pushing a cloth against my mouth. I breathed in the substance on the cloth sharply, the substance stinging as everything grew black.

. . . . .

I woke up to darkness, a swaying feeling, and a gigantic headache. There was a damp cloth on my forehead with a hand soothingly wiped it across. I groaned.

"Lia?" A voice said, edged with panic. I sat up abruptly, causing me to gasp and groan again as my headache increased ten-fold.

"Toko?" I replied, looking around but only seeing gray shapes due to the extremely small amount of light coming from the only window, which was oddly circular as if... I gasped.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice now the one edged with panic.

"I don't _know_. They just came in with your completely unconscious body, which they then laid on the bed, completely nonchalant about the entire incident I swear." She said, her voice tight, pushing me back down onto the bed. My eyes adjusted enough to see her worried expression.

"What happened after that?" I asked, now extraordinarily curious.

"They left the room, locked the doors, and pushed off. We've been sailing for hours. It's nighttime now." She said, going back to wiping my brow. I stopped her.

"I'm fine." I said, looking right into her eyes. She nodded, and sighted in relief. "The only thing bruised is my pride." She smiled.

"That isn't the only thing bruised on your opponents. I heard the guards talking about it. I think you did a very honorable thing, not killing any of them. I know you could have, I saw you on those raids." She got up from her chair, causing me to prop myself up and look around. The room was actually quite nice, with two beds, a table, and some chairs. There were even hangings on the wall, shining slightly showing they were silk, and a bookshelf filled with tomes. Toko went to the table, which even had a table cloth and picked up a bowl and a cup. She put them on a small table next to my bed and sat back down on her chair.

"I figured they didn't deserve to die for following orders. And I just don't have it in me to kill people who weren't trying to kill me." I replied, sitting up and taking the bowl, eating a spoonful of the surprisingly rich food. Toko chuckled when she noticed me looking around in shook.

"We may be prisoners. But, we're royal prisoners. At least... well you know." She said, signaling that we could be overheard.

"So, they don't know?" I asked, genuinely curious now.

"They suspect. I think my silence made it worse." She said. I nodded at her, still not sure if I should reveal that I spoke Yamani.

"So, what happened?" She asked, as I was finishing my soup. I took a sip of the water and started,

"Jabar and I were heading out on a side road when troops jumped off the buildings to the side and ran in front and behind us from alleyways. We took fighting stances, obviously. One of them, who looked as if he was in charge, said something in Yamani. Then I asked him why he was attacking. He said that he meant no harm. I pretended Jabar was my father. He didn't buy it. So I told him the truth. I was your traveling companion from Goatstrack because my uncle is the innkeeper there. He didn't believe me, or maybe he did. But I accidentally acknowledged that I knew your title, and they attacked. I fought back, but one of them got behind me and got me into a headlock. He shoved a cloth with some substance on it on my nose and mouth. I had to breath in, eventually. And then everything went black... Oh, my goddess... What happened to Phoenix?" Toko started to laugh, both from relief and humor.

"Only you would be worried about your sword at a time like this."

"Hey! That was a gift!" I said, starting to laugh along with her. Eventually we stopped laughing, and she sighed.

"I'm going to go to sleep, I suggest you do the same. We have a long trip ahead of us, and we most likely have a long day tomorrow." She said, getting into the other bed. I was asleep soon after, wondering what was to come.


End file.
